Coal Black Mammy/ music by Ivy St. Helier; words by Laddie Cliff

Lyrics:First verseI'm tired and I'm footsore and I'm weary I ache from my head down to my toes, This world seems to be Mighty dreary to me, How I'll finish my journey Lordy knows! But I know where I go that all is peaceful, I'll lay on my pillow tonight, An' I've pray'd how I've pray'd for that moment, Now the end of the long trails in sight, Refrain‘Cause I’m goin’, yes, I’m goin’ with a love that’s ever growin’ To that coal-black mammy o’ mine, Not a cent, not a cent, An’ my clothes are only lent, All the same she’ll think I’m just fine, How I’ve dream’d, how I’ve schem’d, An’ at times it almost seem’d That the sun would never, never shine; That’s why I’m goin’, yes, I’m goin’, Mighty soon I’ll be hulloin’, To that coal-black mammy o’mine. ‘Cause I’m goin’, yes, I’m goin’ with a love that’s ever growin’ To that coal black mammy o’ mine, Not a cent, not a cent, An’ my clothes are only lent, All the same she’ll think I’m just fine, How I’ve dream’d, how I’ve schem’d, An’ at times it almost seem’d That the sun would never, never shine; That’s why I’m goin’, yes, I’m goin’, Mighty soon I’ll be hulloin’, To that coal-black mammy o’mine.
Second verseI’m sad, disappointed, and I’m homesick, I yearn for my mammy’s tender care, I’ve wasted the years And I’ve shed many tears, Of misfortune I’ve surely had my share, But I know that she’ll drive away my sorrow, Her cabin’s just over the rise, And she’ll smile happy smiles when she sees me, Bless the love-light that shines in her eyes!
(Refrain)

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The derogatory terms, images, and ideas that appear in some of this sheet music are not condoned by the University of Mississippi. They do represent the attitudes of a number of Americans at the times the songs were published. As such, it is hoped that the sheet music in this collection can aid students of music, history, and other disciplines to better understand popular American music and racial stereotypes from the 19th- and early 20th-centuries. Read the introduction for further information to use when contextualizing this item: http://130.74.92.141/cdm4/intro_harris.php